Dave’s Cave: Perchance to Dream of Nintendo

Welcome to my cave! This week, I have mostly been dreaming about having the Nintendo Switch, then I wake up to a world where the Switch is still a week away. It’s probably weird that my Nintendo dream adventures were the most noteworthy part of my week, but such is life. Onwards!

Sequels for your Sequels

I’ve played Halo Wars 2 this week, more than is probably necessary. I finished it twice, once by myself and then with a bud. It’s a great game to play co-op, which is kind of rare for strategy games. Now I’m going to start talking about the story and the ending, so skip this section if you’re really worried about having Halo Wars 2 spoiled for you. The first Halo Wars was a proper spin-off; the story was in the same universe as the original without impacting it directly. Halo Wars 2 is largely the same; it expands on the story of the first. The end, however, ties right in to the end of Halo 5. The end of Halo 5 sets up the next game, implying that it will take place on a Halo Ring that shouldn’t exist. In Halo Wars 2, we find out where that Halo came from. The implication seems to be that the two series are about to intersect in the climax of the trilogy. This causes a pretty huge problem. At the end of Halo 5, the antagonist gets away, saved for Halo 6. In Halo Wars 2, the situation with Atriox is not resolved. There are still two major enemies alive and operating going into the next Halo game, so the field is pretty open. Sure, it means the game has plenty to work with, but it’s highly unlikely all of this will get resolved satisfactorily. Maybe they’re planning a another Halo Wars? Who knows. the only thing that’s for certain is that there hasn’t been a complete ending to a Halo game in years. That’s kind of a downer, so let’s learn how to buy a car from an alien!

Way Late to the Party

So I’m all in for the Switch. I have it pre-ordered and will be there to pick it up first thing on Friday morning (it helps that I work around the corner from my local GameStop). Naturally, I’m getting Breath of the Wildwith it. I’m certainly not buying this thing for that sweet new Bomberman. I’ve said this before elsewhere, but I wasn’t really a Nintendo kid. I haven’t played a whole lot of Zelda over the years, but I’m getting there. As an outsider *(TOO SWEET), I’ve always respected the importance of Zelda, but by the time I got around to them it was passed. The innovations the games had made were mostly normalised by the time I played them. I wasn’t blown away by a full 3D action game in Ocarina of Time when I played it for the first time on the 3DS. Breath of the Wild looks incredible, even without much pre-existing love for the series as it’s doing some pretty unique things. For the first time, I’m seeing a Zelda game innovate as it happens. I’m super excited for it, and I really hope it’s the catalyst for an ensuing Zelda binge.

Interactive Edu-tainment

I’ve been a musician most of my life, about as long as I’ve been a gamer. I’ve never had a teacher. I’ve picked up bits and pieces along the way but really the internet has taught me most of what I know. I’ve turned my hand to a couple of instruments over the years, mostly things with strings. The one instrument I’ve always wanted to learn is piano, but just haven’t committed. Lately, I’ve found my motivation. I’m forever watching videos online of people playing video game music on pianos, so it’s time I took the plunge. I’m using video game music to learn to play piano, and honestly it’s a great way to do it. I hadn’t considered it as a teaching method before as I learned to play guitar before YouTube tutorial videos became commonplace, so it never really occurred to me. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to learn an instrument. If you’re big into video games and love their music, use it to inspire yourself to learn. Back in my day, you learned to play guitar because you wanted to be cool and in bands.

If you’re looking to start, it’s hard to say where depending on what instrument you want to learn. That said, I have found that older games are a wealth of great melodies. The composers who made the music of NES and SNES games were total geniuses. They had so little to work with, and created so much. As a result, the music the created was simple but brilliant. I’ve picked up a few tunes from Chrono Trigger, and they’re probably the coolest pieces I play. YouTube has hours and hours of people playing old game music, it’s all there to be taken and learned. I’m taking on a new challenge this way, and I highly recommend you do to! Speaking of…

Choone of the Week

This week’s chhhhoooone is the first piano piece from a video game that I’m learning. It’s crazy to my guitar brain, but one that once I get the hang of, I’ll be flying it. Also it’s rad as hell.

Organizer

Event Details

Gaelcon, Ireland's Premier Games Convention, takes over the Ballsbridge Hotel from October 27th-30th for another full weekend of gaming goodness. Featuring everything from RPGs and LARPs to War Games and

Event Details

Gaelcon, Ireland’s Premier Games Convention, takes over the Ballsbridge Hotel from October 27th-30th for another full weekend of gaming goodness. Featuring everything from RPGs and LARPs to War Games and Board Games there’s sure to be something for everyone at this years convention.

Both Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Heresy will feature over the weekend, while a full timetable for RPGs and LARPs can be found at www.gaelcon.com.

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Location

Event Details

You and up to three friends will band together to take on our weird and wacky array of photo-challenges as you scramble across the city on a strange sightseeing tour

Event Details

You and up to three friends will band together to take on our weird and wacky array of photo-challenges as you scramble across the city on a strange sightseeing tour of Dublin’s oft-overlooked marvels.

Location

Organizer

Event Details

RAID 2018 is a gaming event, by gamers, for gamers. Offering BYOC LAN tournaments, video game concerts, talks from industry professionals and much more, we're banking on this being the best

Event Details

RAID 2018 is a gaming event, by gamers, for gamers. Offering BYOC LAN tournaments, video game concerts, talks from industry professionals and much more, we’re banking on this being the best gaming event in Ireland during 2018!

Location

Organizer

Event Details

RAID 2018 is a gaming event, by gamers, for gamers. Offering BYOC LAN tournaments, video game concerts, talks from industry professionals and much more, we're banking on this being the best

Event Details

RAID 2018 is a gaming event, by gamers, for gamers. Offering BYOC LAN tournaments, video game concerts, talks from industry professionals and much more, we’re banking on this being the best gaming event in Ireland during 2018!